And the Gold Star and Sticker Goes To…

December 30

We’ve had to do a bit of a do-si-do to avoid the flooded Murray River, so we decided to head south and motor to the coast. An uneventful day, spent cruising along in the car, but if anything it was something of an artistic trip. We rolled through Blythe and, after experiencing the silo art of Eudunda, we saw Blythe’s artistic endeavours in the form of power pole paintings. Not exactly the same scale or flair perhaps, but they still enhanced an otherwise drab piece of metal. I thought they were a lovely addition to a little town that you really just blink and drive through. They also had some very nice mosaic murals, so a small town that likes its aesthetics. Nice.

I have to award another gold star, smily face stamp and good work sticker to Blythe for their roadside flags. These highlighted something from the town or region, such as pictures of the parrots and galahs and the farming community, but it was the “Sporting Triumphs” flag that got my attention and deserved the sticker, stamp and glitter tick…you have to love a town that chooses as its “sporting triumph” the 1956 women’s basketball and netball premiers! Love it. Good work Blythe!

We rolled into Old Reynella, thinking it was a historic town. It wasn’t. It was just a suburb actually, but apparently it’s where the first grape vines in South Australia were planted in 1838. It also had some nice mosaics and pole paintings about the place too, so the art tour continued! We stopped for elevenses under a tree in a very dry and parched park and then hit the road again.

We could see the coast ahead of us and a hazy sea fog settling on the horizon, at which point Steve spontaneously and without notice, began singing! “Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the sea, my desire, is always to be here…. “ Between eating chocolate cardboard and spontaneous renditions of Wings hits, he can certainly raise the entertainment value a couple of clicks at times!

We rolled into Victor Harbor, which was absolutely bursting with people. Obviously this is the place to come for a holiday, or maybe people pack out the coast for New Years. We stopped for lunch at a table by the beach and then motored a few km’s out of town to McCracken, to find our pit stop for the day. We’re staying here because, once again, it’s close to a golf course for Steve to hit a few balls. It’s nice to be near the coast again too. After a cuppa and a sit, we headed out to the course for Steve to get in 9 holes and I was again along for the walk…and ball finding. After two in the water, a monumental battle with magnetic bunkers that just sucked in ball after ball and more than one huff-puff and frustrated word or three from Steve, we walked off the course at the 9th with Steve determined to return. The battle was lost, but the war with this course rages on!

We’ll park here for a couple of nights and have a look around, freestyle it and make it up as we go. I’m hoping to discover why Victor Harbour is spelled with an -or and not an -our. Trivial I know, but I guess you can take the gal out of teaching, but can’t take the teacher out of the gal…spelling!